The present invention comprises a new and distinctive chrysanthemum plant, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name MN95-105-6. This new cultivar was the result of a cross in 1989 between Chrysanthemum weyrichii and Chrysanthemum morifolium. More specifically, the breeding program which resulted in the production of the new cultivar was carried out at St. Paul, Minn. The female or seed parent of xe2x80x98MN95-105-6xe2x80x99 was Chrysanthemum weyrichii xe2x80x98Pink Bombxe2x80x99 (unpatented), commercially available from White Flower Farms, Conn. having the following characteristics: (a) the plant habit is prostrate and the plant spreads via rhizomes to form a large mat after the first year; (b) the plant dimensions are that the plant has a diameter of about 1.5xe2x80x2 and is about 5-6xe2x80x3 tall; (c) the plant is hardy in zones 4-9 (Southeast)/Zone 10 (west); (d) the flower of the plant is a single daisy, having light lavender-colored ray florets and central disc florets with yellow pollen; (e) the plant has leaves that are dark green in color, with a very shiny leaf surface (glossy), and glabrous leaf margins that are deeply incised; and (d) the plant tends to rosette, needs cold treatment to flower consistently, flowering can be sporadic with gaps in the plant architecture and the plant is an obligate short-day plant. The male or pollen parent of xe2x80x98MN95-105-6xe2x80x99 was either Chrysanthemum morifolium xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99. xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,531) is a lavender daisy and is commercially available from Yoder Brothers, Inc., Barberton, Ohio and xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,059) is a deep purple daisy and is commercially available from Pan American Seed Company, West Chicago, Ill. xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99 having the following similar characteristics: (a) the plant habit is cushion; (b) the plant is hardy in zones 6-9 (Southeast)/Zone 10 (west); (c) the flower is a single daisy; (d) the plant has leaves that are similar to other Yoder Brother, Inc. cushion series chrysanthemums; and (c) the plant is a facultative short-day plant. Both xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99 were each planted adjacent to the female parent. There were no other garden chrysanthemums within proximity for pollinators, such as bees, to use for pollen transfer. The resulting seeds, identified as 90-287-158 were collected. In 1990, a plant of 90-287-158 was crossed as the male parent with plants identified as 88-409-33, a University of Minnesota variety named xe2x80x98Rose Blushxe2x80x99 (unpatented), as the female parent and the resulting seeds, identified as cross number 91-204-2 were collected. In 1993, seedlings of the cross 91-204-2 were selfed and the resulting seeds, identified as 94-23-87 collected. In 1994, plants of 94-23-87 were selfed and the resulting seeds, identified as cross number 95-105 were collected. In 1995, seedlings of cross 95-105 were germinated and flowering progeny evaluated. xe2x80x98MN95-105-6 was the sixth plant from the cross and was selected during the fall of 1995. xe2x80x98MN95-105-6xe2x80x99 is distinguishable from other varieties by its shrub-like growth in the second and successive years of growth, its superior winter hardiness, frost tolerance, and tendency to attract butterflies.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal or stem cuttings taken during 1996 through 1999 at St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A. has demonstrated that the characteristics of the new cultivar as herein described are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
It was found that the cultivar of the present invention:
(a) exhibits extreme hybrid vigor,
(b) develops, in its second and subsequent years after planting, when grown in the fall under natural daylength and without the application of growth regulators, into a flowering herbaceous shrub having a plant height of from about 1.9 to about 2.4 feet and a spread from about 2.5 to about 6.0 feet,
(c) exhibits, in its second and subsequent years after planting and during the fall season (August-October), a massive floral display,
(d) displays flowers which are slightly toned with grey, giving the flower petals a slightly altered coloration,
(e) exhibits superior winter hardiness, including frost tolerance, and
(f) exhibits self-pinching.
The xe2x80x98MN95-105-6xe2x80x99 cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light intensity, and day length.
When the new cultivar of the present invention is compared to xe2x80x98Jenniferxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,987), it is found to exhibit a more spreading and prolific habit in its second and subsequent years after planting accompanied with a massive floral display. Reference is made to Table 1 below which compares certain characteristics of xe2x80x98MN95-105-6xe2x80x99 to xe2x80x98Jenniferxe2x80x99.